Regenerative thermal oxidation system for treating asphalt vapors

ABSTRACT

A regenerative thermal oxidation system for reducing the VOC content of asphalt vapors.

This is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/905,358,filed on Aug. 4, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,290.

The present invention relates in general to the field of pollutionabatement equipment. Specifically, the present invention pertains to aregenerative thermal oxidation system for reducing atmospheric emissionsof volatile, organic compounds associated with the manufacture, shippingand storage of asphalt materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Asphalts are well known and widely used in a variety of products. Whileasphalts are primarily composed of high molecular weight hydrocarbons,they invariably contain minor amounts of low molecular weighthydrocarbons exhibiting substantial volatility. As such, themanufacture, storage and transportation of asphalt materials presentopportunities for escape of such volatile, organic components (VOCs)into the atmosphere, as well as the accumulation of highly explosivevapors in storage facilities and processing equipment.

In view of the environmental and safety hazards such VOCs present,methods to control their accumulation and emission have been developed.Typically, these involve drawing the vapors into a flame incineratorwhere they are combusted. Unfortunately, the incineration of such VOCsby a flame burner is expensive, and the temperatures reached in suchincinerators often favor the formation of undesirable nitrous oxides.

Although regenerative thermal oxidizers (RTOs) are well known and usedin various industries for the treatment of effluent gas streams toreduce VOCs, their usefulness in conjunction with the manufacture,storage and transportation of asphalt has not previously been fullyappreciated due, at least in part, to the failure of commerciallyavailable RTO devices to accommodate the relatively high content ofcondensable vapors or blowing distillate oil (BD oil) entrained in thegas stream drawn off from such operations. When asphalt vapors areintroduced directly into an RTO unit, the BD oil contained in suchstreams quickly forms a layer of coke on the heat transfer elements ofthe RTO unit which reduces its effectiveness. As such, the frequentcleaning and/or replacement of the heat transfer elements in such unitshas previously rendered their use in conjunction with the manufacture ofasphalt uneconomical. Although advances in this regard have been made byincorporating a cyclone separator upstream of the RTO unit to remove BDoils, such as in the BIOTOX systems commercially available fromBIOTHERMICA, the performance of such separators at low or varying flowrates, or for removing particles of varying sizes, is less than optimum.Accordingly, a need exists for a RTO system capable of effectivelyremoving the condensable oils and oxidizing the VOC's contained inasphalt vapors over a wide range of particle sizes and flow rates. Thisneed is met by the invention described herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a regenerative thermal oxidation systemespecially adapted to reduce the VOC content of vapors associated withthe manufacture, storage and transportation of asphalt. The RTO systemcomprises a separator to remove BD oils from the vapors, and an RTO unitto oxidize the VOCs contained in the vapors. The system is capable ofeffective operation at over widely varying flow rates which makes itideally suited to intermittent use as may be encountered in connectionwith a truck loading station or a portable unit. Moreover, theseparation unit of the system advantageously removes entrained orcondensed oils from the vapor stream effectively over a wide range ofparticle sizes, which reduces fouling of the heat transfer elements ofthe RTO unit and reduces the formation of sulfur dioxide. Additionally,the RTO unit may be electrically powered, which reduces the nitrousoxide emissions below the levels typically encountered with flameincinerators.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of the RTO unit of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the RTO unit of the invention.

FIG. 3 contains a vertical cross section (a), and a horizontal crosssection (b) of an embodiment of a separator useful in the RTO unit.

FIG. 4 is a second embodiment of a separator useful in the RTO unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a regenerative thermal oxidation systemuseful in the reduction of VOC emissions associated with themanufacture, storage and transportation of asphalt materials. Inparticular, the present invention provides an RTO system that reliablyseparates out the BD oils from the vapor stream even at low flow ratesto reduce the undesirable coking of the equipment caused by such oils.Removal of the BD oils prior to oxidation of the vapors further reducesthe formation of sulfur dioxide emissions. Moreover, because the RTOsystem of the invention is capable of destroying the VOC components ofthe effluent stream at much lower temperatures than utilized in flameburner incinerators, the RTO system of the invention further reduces theformation of nitrous oxide emissions.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the RTO system of the present inventioncomprises a first stage separator 10 for removing the BD oil from theasphalt vapor stream, and a second stage oxidation unit 30 for thermaloxidation of the VOCs contained in the vapor stream. Between theseparator and the oxidation unit is a venturi 20, which acts as afirebreak to prevent vapors in the separator from accidentally ignitingand spreading fire back into the asphalt manufacturing or storagefacilities.

The separator 10 can be any form of separation equipment that willeffectively and reliably remove BD oil from the asphalt vapor stream atvariable operating flow rates to permit intermittent use of the RTOsystem and prevent coking problems in frequent start-up and shut-downmodes associated with intermittent use. Preferably, the separator is onethat will effectively remove at least 90 percent of the BD oils thatwould otherwise exist in the vapor stream at the temperature it exitsthe separator, at flow rates varying from as low as about 0 to as highas the maximum acceptable flow rate for the RTO unit. As one of skill inthe art will recognize, the maximum acceptable flow rate for an RTO unitis principally a question of scaling the size of the unit for theparticular application and, thus the specific size or particular maximumflow rate of the RTO unit is not intended to limit the presentinvention. Accordingly, RTO units having maximum flow rates as high as25,000 cubic feet per minute are envisioned, although maximum flow rateson the order of 15,000, 7,500 or even 1,000 cubic feet per minute may beadequate to satisfy most applications.

A preferred separation device that is effective at removing BD oils oversuch variable ranges of flow rates is a coalescing fiberbed filter suchas those commercially available from Fabric Filters Air Systems, Inc.Such filters have the added advantage that they effectively removeentrained liquids over a wide range of particle sizes. While thesefilters can take many forms, the arrangements depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4are particularly effective. However, as one of skill in this art willrecognize, additional filter elements can be added to either arrangementto accommodate higher flow rates.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the vapor stream is filtered bypassing it through one of two cylindrical filter elements 1 and 2,arranged in a spaced concentric configuration within a cylindrical shell3. That is, filter element 1 is of sufficiently smaller diameter thanfilter element 2 such that it fits inside filter element 2 and leaves anopen passage 4 between the filters elements for the flow of unfilteredvapors. Similarly, filter element 2 is of a sufficiently smallerdiameter than the shell 3 to form an open passage between it and theshell. The vapors to be filtered enter the filter at inlet 5 which is inflow communication with the annular passage between the two filterelements 4. The annular passage 4 is sealed at the opposite end of thefilter 6 such that the vapors entering the annular passage are drawnthrough the filter elements into the central cylindrical passage 7 orthe annular passage 8 between filter element 2 and shell 3, both ofwhich are in flow communication with the outlet for the filtered vapor9. BD oil contained in the vapor stream is collected in the filterelements and forms droplets which drain from the filter elements and canbe collected at the bottom of the filter. Preferably, such liquid oilsare drained from the filters frequently during operation via manually orautomatically controlled pumping systems.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the filter comprises a plurality ofcylindrical filter elements 11 enclosed within a shell 12. Each filterelement is open at one end 13 such that vapor to be filtered can enterthe interior cavity defined by the filter element, and is sealed at theopposite end 14 such that the vapors to be filtered must pass throughthe filter element to exit therefrom. The vapor to be filtered entersthe filter at the bottom through inlet 15 and passes into a chamber thatis in flow communication with the interior passage of the cylindricalfilter elements 11 through their open ends 13. The vapors are drawnthrough the filter elements and exit the filter through exit 16.

The filter arrangements shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are exemplary of suitablefiberbed filters for removing BD oils from the asphalt vapor stream. Thedesign shown in FIG. 3 is generally well suited for filtering low tomoderate volumes, whereas the design of FIG. 4 is better suited forlarge volumetric flow rates. While these filters can be used alone tofilter the effluent gasses collected for treatment, it is oftenpreferable to prefilter the vapors to remove any particulate materialprior to passing the vapors through the fiberbed filter. This can beaccomplished by first passing the vapors through one or more prefilters,shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 at 17, which can utilize any suitable filterelement 18 for removing particulate matter.

Additionally, when such coalescing filters are utilized in applicationswhere the asphalt vapor throughput can be low, and in geographical areaswhere ambient temperatures can fall below about 40° F., it is desirablethat such filters be heated to prevent solidification of the BD oils onthe filter during low flow periods. An effective means for heating thefiberbed filter is to recirculate a portion of the heated effluent fromthe RTO unit in a recycle loop as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 at 41. Forexample, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, recycled effluent from the RTOunit can be added to the unfiltered vapor upstream of the fiberbedfilter through inlet 19 shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vapor stream exiting the separator 10passes through venturi 20 prior to entering the oxidation unit 30. Theventuri provides protection against flash back into the separator byincreasing the velocity of the vapor stream, even at low flow rates,such that it exceeds the flame propagation speed. Additionally, theventuri 20 is preferably equipped with a steam injection port 21 forquenching any fires as a backup should the fan pulling the vaporsthrough the system fail during a flash back.

From the venturi, the vapor stream flows into oxidation unit 30. Theoxidation unit is composed of two adjacent heat exchangers 31 and 32,and a combustion chamber 33 that sits on top of the heat exchangers andthat is in flow communication therewith. As contaminated flue gas entersthe system, it passes through a bed of gridded ceramic blocks in heatexchanger 31. The ceramic blocks preheat the contaminated flue gas closeto its burning temperature.

Oxidation takes place in the combustion chamber, where high temperaturesdestroy the VOC emissions. If the flue gas has a high enough VOCcontent, the heat produced by oxidation will sustain combustion. If theconcentration of contaminants is too low to sustain combustion,additional heat is provided by one or more electrical heating elementswithin the combustion chamber. Thus, as the VOC concentration of thevapor increases, the electric heat requirement decreases. Preferably,the temperature in the combustion chamber is maintained at from about1450 to 1550° F. more preferably from about 1475 to 1500° F.

The cleaned flue gas exits the combustion chamber through heat exchanger32. As the hot gas passes through the bed of gridded ceramic blockscontained in heat exchanger 32, its heat is transferred to the ceramicblocks. At a predetermined time, or when the difference in thetemperature between the ceramic blocks in heat exchanger 31 and theceramic blocks in heat exchanger 32 reaches a predetermined value, theinlet gas flow is switched to heat exchanger 32 such that the incomingcontaminated flue gas passes through the heated blocks of heat exchanger32 and the heated blocks transfer their stored heat to the incoming gas.The clean gas then exits through heat exchanger 31. Thereafter, at thepredetermined time interval, or when the difference in temperaturebetween the blocks in heat exchanger 32 and the blocks in heat exchanger31 reaches the predetermined value, the inlet gas is once again switchedback to heat exchanger 31 and the process is repeated. Typically, thedirection of gas flow through the oxidation unit is switched at timeintervals of from about 0.5 to 2 minutes. However, in order to controlsporadic fluctuations in the temperature of the heat exchangers, it isgenerally preferred to have a control mechanism that will switch the gasflow at times other than the predetermined interval whenever thetemperature difference between the heat exchangers becomes more thanabout 200° F.

The flow of the vapor stream through the heat exchangers and thecombustion chamber is controlled by inlet valves 34 and 36, and outletvalves 35 and 37, of heat exchangers 31 and 32. These valves may be ofany type commonly used to regulate the flow of vapors, but arepreferably electrically controlled. The vapors to be cleaned are drawnthrough the oxidation unit by fan 38. The vapors enter the oxidationunit via duct 39 which splits with one end terminating at the inlet toheat exchanger 31 and the other end terminating at the inlet to heatexchanger 32. Valves 34 and 36 located adjacent to the inlets to heatexchangers 31 and 32, respectively, control the flow of the uncleanedvapor into the heat exchangers. Similarly, the cleaned vapor exits theoxidation unit through a common duct 42 connecting fan 38 to the outletsof heat exchangers 31 and 32. Valves 35 and 37 located adjacent to theoutlets of heat exchangers 31 and 32, respectively, allow the flow ofthe cleaned vapor out through the heat exchangers. As will be apparentto one skilled in this art, the inlet and outlet of each heat exchangercan be separate openings or the same opening. Where the inlet and outletare the same opening, the inlet duct and outlet duct converge, such asthrough a T or Y fitting, prior to joining with the inlet/outlet openingof the heat exchanger. In such configurations, the inlet and outletvalves are located in the respective inlet and outlet ducts adjacent thelocation where they converge.

By closing valve 36 at the inlet and opening valve 37 at the outlet toheat exchanger 32, while opening valve 34 at the inlet and closing valve35 at the outlet to heat exchanger 31, the vapors are drawn through theinlet of heat exchanger 31, through the combustion chamber 33, throughthe outlet of heat exchanger 32 and are finally vented to the atmospherethrough stack 40. By reversing the orientation of valves 34, 35, 36 and37, the direction of gas flow will be reversed such that the vapors aredrawn through the inlet of heat exchanger 32, through the combustionchamber 33 and then out through the outlet of heat exchanger 31 beforebeing vented to the atmosphere through stack 40.

As mentioned above, when a fiberbed filter is used as the separator inan environment where ambient temperatures can fall below about 40° F., aportion of the effluent from the oxidation unit is desirably recycledthrough the filter via duct 41 to prevent the filter from freezing.Additionally, depending on the VOC content of the effluent stream beingtreated, it may also be desirable to dilute the incoming stream to theoxidation unit with air, or to vent some of the heated gas from thecombustion chamber directly to the exhaust duct, to regulate thetemperatures reached in the combustion chamber. To accommodate suchdesires, the oxidation unit may optionally include a dilution air intake43 and an exhaust bypass 44 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The effectiveness of the above described RTO system on reducing VOCemissions associated with the manufacture of asphalt materials isexemplified by the results of emissions monitoring of a truck loadingrecovery system set forth in Table 1. As this data indicates, the RTOsystem of the present invention is capable of destroying up to about 99%of the total hydrocarbon contained in the asphalt vapors without theformation of excessive quantities of sulfur dioxide or nitrous oxides.

TABLE 1 Averages of Continuous Emissions Monitoring During TruckLoadings INLET Day 1 Day 2 Day 7 Day 8 Gas Conditions T₃ Temperature (°F.) 84 65 91 86 O₂ Oxygen (dry volume %) 20.9 20.9 20.9 20.9 CO₂ CarbonDioxide (dry volume 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 %) B_(wo) Moisture (volume %) 2.402.08 2.22 2.53 O_(std) Standard conditions (dscfm) 700 597 562 689 TotalHydrocarbons as propane C Concentration (ppmdv) 388.3 842.4 801.4 1,218E Emission rate (lb/hr) 1.88 3.47 3.08 4.94 Nitrogen Oxides CConcentration (ppmdv) 0.0 1.1 0.5 0.5 E Emission rate (lb/hr) 0.00 0.000.00 0.00 Sulfur Dioxide C Concentration (ppmdv) 11.8 8.1 2.4 7.9 EEmission rate (lb/hr) 0.09 0.05 0.01 0.05 OUTLET Gas Conditions T₃Temperature (° F.) 172 164 154 201 O₂ Oxygen (dry volume %) 20.6 20.320.2 20.2 CO₂ Carbon Dioxide (dry volume 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.5 %) B_(wo)Moisture (volume %) 2.26 2.20 2.23 2.62 O_(std) Standard conditions(dscfm) 848 745 600 693 Total Hydrocarbons as propane C Concentration(ppmdv) 13.9 7.6 19.7 24.1 E Emission rate (lb/hr) 0.08 0.04 0.08 0.11Nitrogen Oxides C Concentration (ppmdv) 0.0 0.7 0.0 0.0 E Emission rate(lb/hr) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Sulfur Dioxide C Concentration (ppmdv) 85.7230.9 226.0 220.5 E Emission rate (lb/hr) 0.74 1.78 1.35 1.63 CarbonMonoxide C Concentration (ppmdv) 11.7 16.3 10.4 9.7 E Emission rate(lb/hr) 0.04 0.05 0.03 0.03 THC DESTRUCTION 93.66 98.88 97.19 97.60EFFICIENCY (%)

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for reducing the content of volatileorganic components in an asphalt vapor stream comprising: (a) collectingthe vapors emanating from said asphalt; (b) removing condensable blowingdistillate oils contained therein by passing said vapors through acoalescing filter; and (c) oxidizing the volatile organic compoundscontained in said vapor.
 2. The process of claim 1, wherein said blowingdistillate oils are removed by passing said vapors through a fiberbedfilter.
 3. The process of claim 2, wherein said volatile organiccomponents are oxidized by passing said vapors through a regenerativethermal oxidation unit.
 4. The process of claim 3, wherein said vaporsare heated to a temperature of from about 1450 to 1550° F. in saidoxidation unit.
 5. A process for reducing the content of volatileorganic components in an asphalt vapor stream comprising: (a) collectingthe vapors emanating from said asphalt; (b) removing condensable blowingdistillate oils contained therein by passing said vapors through acoalescing filter; (c) oxidizing the volatile organic compoundscontained in said vapor; and (d) recirculating a portion of the oxidizedvapor to said coalescing filter.
 6. The process of claim 5, wherein saidoxidized vapor is recirculated through a recycle loop.
 7. The process ofclaim 6, wherein said recycle loop extends from a stack to saidcoalescing filter.
 8. The process of claim 5, wherein said coalescingfilter is heated by the recirculated oxidized vapor.
 9. The process ofclaim 8, wherein said coalescing filter is heated to prevent thesolidification of blowing distillate oil.
 10. A process for reducing thecontent of volatile organic components in an asphalt vapor streamcomprising: (a) collecting the vapors emanating from said asphalt; (b)removing condensable blowing distillate oils contained therein bypassing said vapors through a separator; (c) oxidizing the volatileorganic compounds contained in said vapor; and (d) recirculating aportion of the oxidized vapor to said separator.
 11. The process ofclaim 10, further comprising providing a firebreak.
 12. The process ofclaim 2, wherein said firebreak is positioned between the separator andan oxidation system.
 13. A process for reducing the content of volatileorganic components in an asphalt vapor stream comprising: (a) collectingthe vapors emanating from said asphalt; (b) removing particulate mattercontained in said vapors by passing said vapors through a particulatesfilter; (c) removing condensable blowing distillate oils contained insaid vapors by passing said vapors through a coalescing filter; and (d)oxidizing the volatile organic compounds contained in said vapors. 14.The process of claim 13, wherein said step of removing particulatematter from said vapors is conducted before said step of removingblowing distillate oils from said vapors.
 15. The process of claim 13,wherein said blowing distillate oils are removed by passing said vaporsthrough a fiberbed filter.
 16. The process of claim 15, wherein saidstep of removing particulate matter from said vapors is conducted beforesaid step of removing blowing distillate oils from said vapors.
 17. Theprocess of claim 14, wherein said step of removing particulate mattercomprises removing large particles from the vapors.